In 1979 Bryan Adams' manager Bruce Allen asked me to write a song for BTO, a group he managed (they'd changed their name from "Bachman Turner Overdrive" to "BTO" when Randy Bachman left in 1977).

I came up with a couple of song ideas including "Rock 'n Roll Hell", which I loosely based on the tempo and chord structure of Randy's song "Takin' Care Of Business".

BTO liked "Rock 'n Roll Hell" and included it on their 1979 album, "Rock n Roll Nights", which I produced.

Fast-forward a few years to the summer of 1982. Bryan Adams and I got a call from producer Michael James Jackson, asking if we'd be interested in writing a song for KISS. To be honest I've never been a huge KISS fan, but it was early in our writing career and KISS were selling a lot more records than we were, so it seemed like a good idea.

Bryan and I wrote two songs for KISS: a new one called "War Machine", and a re-worked version of BTO's "Rock 'n Roll Hell", with a new lyric and a slower, heavier feel.

Not long afterwards we received an unexpected telephone call from Gene Simmons!

Gene said he loved both our tracks, and KISS were definitely interested in recording them. There was just one problem. "Rock 'n Roll Hell" needed an extra verse!

Gene Simmons

Adams and I were in the same room, on separate phones. We looked at each other and shook our heads. The song was finished. Why on earth would Gene want us to write
another verse?

We told Gene how we felt about it.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and then Gene spoke, very slowly and firmly: "You don't understand", he said. "The song needs an extra verse. And I'm going to write it".

Suddenly it dawned on us. Gene was trying to tell us, in not-too-subtle terms, that KISS wouldn't record our song unless his name appeared as a co-writer. The choice was obvious: we could share songwriting credit (and royalties) on an album that would probably sell 10 million copies, or we could have no songs on the album at all.

In the end Gene did write a verse, which appears in the song. And to his credit, he only requested a modest share of the royalties. Regardless, the experience left us with an empty feeling.

Twenty-five years later I'm not bitter, I'm simply philosophical about the experience. The truth is, when it came to negotiation and intimidation, Gene Simmons was much more skilled than we were!

Lyrics:

Been under fire for sixteen years
Just waitin' for his time to come
He fought the lies, fought back the tears
Can't wait to hear that starting gun

There ain't nobody gonna step on his dreams
So he held his hands high and screamed

Get me out of this rock and roll hell, take me far away
Get me out of this rock and roll hell
Get me out of this rock and roll hell, I need to get away
Get me out of this rock and roll hell

He's on the edge, he can feel it in his heart
This time the pressure's really on
He's gonna fight it, might even steal a guitar
This time tomorrow he'll be gone, oh, oh, ooh

There ain't nobody gonna tell him what to do
Think he's a little like me and you, yeah

Get me out of this rock and roll hell, take me far away
Get me out of this rock and roll hell
Get me out of this rock and roll hell, I need to get away
Get me out of this rock and roll hell
Yeah, oh, ooh

He's on the run, won't stand for second place
But his turn may never come, oh, oh, ohh
He's not a victim, you can see it in his face
But he can't see what he's become

Well, he wants it bad, but he wants no charity
He seems to think it's his destiny

Get me out of this rock and roll hell, I need to get away
Get me out of this rock and roll hell